


intermission

by mozartspiano



Category: One Direction (Band), Radio 1 RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-19
Updated: 2014-10-19
Packaged: 2018-02-21 20:26:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2481329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mozartspiano/pseuds/mozartspiano
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"that <i>cat</i> is ridiculous," nick probably looks crazy, but he doesn't care anymore. "he's my own personal, fluffy little cockblock from hell and it's driving me mad."</p>
            </blockquote>





	intermission

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted [here](http://mozarts-tuba.livejournal.com/5252.html)

harry gets a kitten from his mum for christmas and, really, that's where the problems start.

the thing's ("it's not a _thing_ , nicholas!" harry would shriek. "it is a _him_ and it is _beautiful_ ") name is louis, and he's small and fluffy and a nice light grey colour with these big blue eyes, and nick's not a bloody heathen so he can admit that the cat's cute.

but he's not quite the second coming of christ, like harry believes.

also, well, louis' pretty mean. like, downright nasty for a kitten.

it's like this:

the past weeks leading up to christmas had been especially important to nick, important because after nearly a year of hard, solid work, harry styles was warming up to the idea of dating him.

he'd wooed and charmed and flirted his way into being a contender for the part of harry's boyfriend, and he was sort of hoping that by new years they'd be a sure thing - and he'd finally be able to kiss those bloody wonderful lips and play with those soft curls and lie awake with that ridiculous mind, chat and joke and be in love with him. 

but then the fucking cat got in the way. and it seemed like all his hard work had gone to waste.

"look at you!" harry squeals, in the most obnoxious voice nick's ever heard, when he's over at his flat one night, waiting for him to get ready so they can go out. "you are just the cutest thing in the entire world, yes you are."

harry's holding the little kitten up to his face and kissing its nose over and over again, this insane look on his face. nick hasn't seen him this happy since he got pissed at karaoke night and ended up singing _rolling in the deep_ with the bouncer. 

"c'mon," he sighs, watching harry coo at his cat longer, biting playfully at louis' little paws. "if we don't go now we'll miss zane's set and i'll never forgive you."

"right, right," harry says easily, still making moon eyes at louis. he curls his big fingers into the fur on louis' tummy and fucking _giggles_ when the cat purrs. "can i bring him with us nick, please?"

"no."

" _please_ ," he looks up at nick for the first time since nick got here, then, with these big cow eyes. "he won't make a fuss, i promise. we can just stick him in my pocket."

"harold," nick glares at the stupid mammal in his arms, the one that's glaring right back at him. "you need to start putting some distance between you and that thi- the cat. if you want it to grow properly it'll need some space, love."

"aw," harry pouts prettily and nick's never been able to deny him, especially when he flutters his eyelashes just so. "but louis will get lonely, nick. he's not used to being all by himself."

the cat mewls at that, pawing at harry's jumper and while harry's cooing and petting and talking in a low, soothing voice, nick swears the cat _smirks_ at him.

"fine," nick cries, flicking back his fringe-quiff with a hand, trying not to roll his eyes when harry cheers. "but if they kick us out i'm going to kill you."

"how could they possibly kick us out?" harry asks, slipping his shoes on and kissing louis' ear. "we have the cutest kitten in the entire world with us."

he says the last bit straight into louis' face with the world's cheesiest grin on his face and nick wants to kill himself.

 

after that louis goes everywhere with harry.

whether it's to the grocery when harry's running low on milk, or to work at the coffee shop harry makes pastries at, or to the cinemas when nick and him go see their obscure indie films. the cat's fucking everywhere, popping out of harry's pocket and crawling up into harry's hair and playing with harry's fingers when they _should_ be intertwined with _nick's fingers_.

he's an absolute menace.

nick tries to tell aimee about it but she just thinks he's off his fucking rocker again. she tilts her head to the side and gives him an eyebrow and opens her big loud mouth,

"you need some therapy or something grimshaw."

"i swear, that cat hates me," he sighs into his sandwich. "every time i come over he's there, glaring up at me and taking up all of harry's attention and scratching me, look!"

he pulls up his jacket to show her the three, long cuts louis had etched into his arm when nick had made the mistake of putting his arm around harry during x-factor. 

"you're ridiculous."

"that _cat_ is ridiculous," nick probably looks crazy, but he doesn't care anymore. "he's my own personal, fluffy little cockblock from hell and it's driving me mad."

aimee gives him an unimpressed look at that and then steers the conversation to jay-z. 

 

it's not until later, when harry's making them linguini in his shitty little kitchen and they're laughing together and harry's eyes are bright and happy and so so green, that nick finally works up the nerve to properly do this.

"so harry, um," he used to be charming, but something happened between meeting harry at that party and now. "i was thinking that, well, if you wanted to-"

"could you pass me the salt?" harry interrupts, pointing to a shaker at nick's left. he passes it over quickly. "sorry, sorry, what were you saying?"

he cranks some salt in, dips his finger into the pot, and pops it in his mouth, pink lips sucking at his long finger. he turns to nick with an inquisitive look and cocks his head to the side, smiling.

it only takes a second delay, just one second in which nick tries to swallow and finds his mouth dry, for louis to pad softly into the kitchen whining.

"aw, darling," harry cries immediately, leaving nick at the counter and rushing over to pick up the tiny little ball of satan. "did you just wake up from your nap?"

nick barely holds in a scream as he watches louis whimper his way into harry's arms, clinging tightly to harry's shirt and accepting harry's kisses with little purrs. 

_fucking cat_ , he thinks darkly.

"isn't he just precious?" harry coos, a huge grin splitting his face apart as he cuddles louis in close to his neck. louis just curls in and he fucking _smiles_ nick can tell. "isn't he just the sweetest thing, grimmy?"

"adorable," nick replies in his driest voice.

"can you hold him for a second?" harry asks and it's an amazing feat that nick manages not to _flinch in horror_. "i just want to grab the salad, and fill up louis' bowl."

"yeah, of course," nick says holding out his hands awkwardly because he's never had to hold the little hell devil before. or any cat before, really. he's always been more of a dog person (pussy jokes aside). 

"he's not going to bite you!" harry laughs, although by the way louis' eyeing him, nick doesn't necessarily think that's true. "just let him lie on your chest a bit and he'll love you forever."

"highly doubt that," nick mutters under his breath while harry deposits the kitten into his hands, turning to the stove and whistling merrily. 

louis' warm. that's the first thing nick finds out about him.

he's also really fluffy and soft and so so small. he looks up at nick with these big blue eyes, clear as anything, and even though his face has this tiny little smirk on it, wrinkling his little pink nose and his delicate little whiskers, nick can't help but fall a little bit in love with him.

"hey you," he says in his quietest, softest voice, curling his fingers around louis' neck. louis purrs back a little, edging into his hand, and nick's heart warms slightly.

maybe he was all wrong. maybe louis really was the second coming of christ.

and then-

"fucking hell!" he yells half a second later when louis bites into the skin at his wrist with his sharp little teeth, grinning maliciously. 

"nick?" harry turns, and then tuts loudly. "you couldn't keep quiet for a minute?"

"i-" nick looks down at the little ball of fluff in his hands that has started licking it's own hand, eyes wide and innocent. "your cat bit me!"

"nick, don't be ridiculous," harry scoffs, looking unimpressed (and therefore a bit like a kitten himself), and reaches out for louis. "i know you've never been a huge fan of cats, but you could try a little, really."

"i never-"

"pass me your cardigan," harry chides, shaking his head as one hand strokes down louis' back as if _he_ was the one traumatized. 

nick does in a daze, still clutching his, slightly bleeding thank you very much, wrist, and passes it over. despite the fact that his cat is absolutely mad and harry seems to be following along with him, nick's still wrapped around his finger like nothing else.

that wasn't about to change any time soon.

harry looks really good in his cardigan, of course. it stretches across his shoulders and brings out the blue flecks in his eyes, and it distracts nick long enough so he doesn't throw something when he sees louis' snuggle into the pocket of it, getting cat hair all over it. 

 

he's beginning to think it'd be easier to get a hot date with _simon amstell_ than harry at this point. 

he sees him at greg's thing later in the week, hot and bright and full of his big smiles, and nick's heart almost hurts just to look at him, because fuck.

fuck.

it's been a _year_ of pining and feeling pathetic and letting harry walk all over him multiple times and they're finally both single and both ready and now there's a fucking _kitten_ getting in his way.

"you okay?" harry shouts in his ear when he finds him. his smile is made of sunshine and happiness and it blinds nick momentarily. 

"yah, yah, i'm fine," nick tries to focus on something other than harry's pretty lips and his pretty eyes and his pretty red cheeks. "do you, um. do you want to dance or something?"

harry's grin is brilliant. "i'd love to dance. or something. with you."

"right," so it was that easy.

harry bites his lip and sneaks his hand down into nick's, pulling him into the mess of people grinding in greg's living room.

yep. that easy.

 

it isn't until after, when nick's had harry in his arms for nearly half an hour and they're both sweaty and hot, that he realizes louis' here.

been here the whole time actually.

they find him in niall's arms, cuddled up under his chin while niall coos and kisses and scratches at him, a bunch of people around him smiling and sighing as the watch.

_probably revelling in the attention_ , nick thinks bitterly as harry grins widely. 

"you've got one hell of a cat here, haz," niall says, a little drunkenly while he pets down louis' fur. 

"oh come on," nick says, and he must have had one too many whiskeys or maybe he's just drunk off harry, because his voice comes out much louder than he thought. "it's not like he can do tricks or make bacon or speak sign language. he's just a fucking cat."

niall gasps. 

"and he's not that cute," nick says staring into louis' little eyes. louis glares back at him. 

when he looks up he notices everyone staring at him. niall kind of looks like he just punched mother teresa in the face, jaw dropped, and hands around a pouting louis like he never wants to let go.

"you're a heathen," niall sighs, shaking his head and petting louis softly so he arches his back.

nick looks over to harry then, because he sort of just insulted his cat right to his face, and is pretty surprised when harry just stares back at him serenely, a confused wrinkle in between his eyebrows.

and then it smoothes out to reveal a big grin.

"hey ni," he calls, eyes not leaving nick's, dirty smile prodding at his dimples. "you want to take louis for the night?"

nick's sort of too lost to listen to what the reply is, but it must be in the affirmative, because in the next second harry's hand is in his and he's being pulled to the door quickly.

he manages a look over his shoulder before harry pushes him out into the hallway, and it's to see louis pouting at the two of them, eyes wide while they look after harry sadly.

nick feels bad for him for about 0.3 seconds until he's out in the hall and harry's pushing him against the wall.

"you're jealous," harry pants right in his face, eyes bright and smile sneaky. 

"what?" nick passes off, turning his head a bit so he can clear his head. "don't know what you're talking about."

"you're so full of shit," harry whispers right in his ear and then he bites it, turning nick's legs to jam a little. "and you are so jealous of my cat."

"to be fair-" nick starts, unable to keep a smile off his face as harry chuckles into his neck. "that cat has cockblocked me on more than one occasion."

"well he won't tonight," harry says, voice all sly and full of intent, and then his wet, warm, red lips are pressing against nick's and fuck, they're just as good as he always imagined they would be.

 

afterwards, when harry's sprawled out naked over nick's chest snoring and nick is looking up at the ceiling wondering how on earth he got so lucky, he can't help but snigger a little.

looks like he's the cat who got the cream.


End file.
